A Scent on the Breeze
by ParanoidNikki
Summary: She lived in town, just shy of the forest. Nothing exciting ever happens here...same old same old...until he arrived. Once-ler/OFC It's my first fanfiction so please be gentle ;; Co-Written with my best pet Tabby
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy the story that me and Tabby are working on. We don't own the Once-ler or any other Dr. Suess characters._

The breeze from the forest was crisp and cool, carrying the scent of butterfly milk on its silky tendrils. The sun was still high in the sky, but beginning to list toward it's bed, causing the beginnings of shadows to start to stretch out from the foot of the wall. Perched precariously on the edge was a tall wisp of a girl, her hair set swinging by the breeze. She was wrapped in something soft and pink and that was just long enough to cover her green shorts, but not long enough to protect her long legs from the breeze. She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced down nervously at her temporary companion. Lanky, with messy hair, and completely different from anyone in this closed off little town in the literal middle of nowhere. With desert on one side and miles and miles of forest all around them, the chance of travelers was near impossible.

Yes, Once-ler was like no one she'd ever met before. From the way he talked to his clothes she was entranced by him. Maybe it was because he was something new and different, a fresh color in this black and white town, but for whatever the reason Nikki was infatuated.

She half listened to him talking about the uses for his thneed, reaching down to lift the felt fedora from his head. To his credit he only paused for a second to watch her drop it on her own head before continuing, though now he could only watch her as she held the hat down in the breeze.

Once-ler stammered just a bit as he continued, "A-and you know a-about how it can be a sweater…"

Nikki smiled and nodded. "Yeah…I think that's my favorite. If I could figure out how you make it do different things I'd buy it myself." She turned a playful grin down on him, making his heart feel like it had paused in its beating, before she looked back to the trees.

A silence slipped over them, comfortable for one and nervous for the other. Once-ler couldn't help glancing up at her every few seconds. 'To make sure she doesn't lose my hat…' he continued telling himself. He watched the way her emotions played across her face, how it shifted from a soft sereneness to something he could only akin to loss.

He reached out a hand to touch hers, tugging her pinkie gently with his index finger. She ducked her head, glancing at their linked fingers before whispering something that was lost to a gust of wind.

"What was that, Nikki?" he inquired as she turned her gaze back to the trees.

"Why…" She swallowed a little nervously. "Why do you keep coming here even though you aren't selling these…" Nikki tugged on the makeshift sweater for emphasis, sliding her gaze back down to her friend.

"Well, I have to keep hoping to sell them, if I give up now then all my hard work would be for nothing. And my invention is bound to be a success, you've seen it! You know how awesome it is!" He beamed with the kind of pride that made Nikki envious. Had she ever had that kind of confidence in herself?

"I hope you don't give up…not ever…" The slight squeeze of her slender fingers, sent a strong reminder to Once-ler that he was still holding her hand. He felt the heat rise up all the way to his ears as he blushed. He quickly tugs his hand away and scratches the back of his neck.

"W-Why?"

Nikki slips down off the wall, landing lightly on her booted feet. She leans back against the wall, brushing her shoulder with her friend's. This sends a small bit of satisfaction coursing through her body, it's nice to have met a guy taller than her. "I'm scared…that you're gonna give up…pack up your stuff and leave…and then I won't see you anymore…"

She didn't look up to see his reaction. She couldn't bear it if he was laughing or sneering.

He watched her fidget nervously for a minute before nudging her shoulder back. "Maybe I'll still come, even if I can't sell them." Now it was his turn to keep his gaze steady on the horizon.

"Really?" Nikki couldn't hide the growing enthusiasm in her voice.

"Sure! I promise…"

The kiss she pressed to his lips wasn't exactly a mind blowing passionate one, but it was warm and so full of genuine warmth that it left the poor man stunned completely silent. Nikki pulled away with her face stained red by an intense blush.

They stared at each other for just a few seconds before Nikki made a half choked squeaking noise and ran off. The Once-ler watched her retreat, still trapped in stunned silence for a moment longer before the realization of what just occurred crashed over him.

After that…he couldn't wipe the grin off of his face as he started the long trek home.

Nikki peeked back around the wall just in time to watch the Once-ler's retreat back into the forest. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her gaze never wavering until the man's figure was lost to the glare of the slowly setting sun. All she could hope was that he wasn't angry about her sudden kiss, and that he would be back tomorrow in the town square.


	2. Chapter 2

_Still don't own the Once-ler...damn it..._

The next day, Nikki watched the town square from her bedroom window. She leaned almost completely over the sill, watching the Once-ler give his usual disastrous demonstration of his thneed, her mind a furious whirlwind of thought. He was so motivated, so captivated by the thought of success, would he really want to be dragged down by a girl like her? So plain and ordinary and naïve?

She pulled herself away from the window and judged her appearance in her dingy floor length mirror. She lifted her chin and shook her long hair out behind her to better appraise her face. Her cheekbones were high and delicate, very pleasant, but her nose was too small and her eyes far too big. She ran her hands down her sides, smoothing out her tank top and frowning at her figure. Her breasts were too small, barely a handful on a good day, with no curve to her hips. If she weren't so tall she'd look more like a prepubescent boy.

With a defeated sigh, Nikki headed out of the house. She might as well go and comfort the Once-ler after another day of tomato throwing, but when she stepped out into the square…he was gone. He must have left while she was self depreciating in the mirror.

A little choked sound of fear escaped her lips. Did he give up? Was he leaving for good? Before she could stop herself, Nikki was making a beeline for the village gates. 'Once-ler you promised! You wouldn't break a promise…would you?'

Her trainers kicked up a bit of dust as she skidded to a stop against the stone wall surrounding the village. There was no sign of him…just wagon tracks and footprints in the dust of the road. Nikki sniffled and leaned her head against the sun warmed stone. "Damn it…" she cursed. "Damn it damn it…"

Nikki's feet dragged as she walked herself back to the town square. 'Well…it was fun while it lasted…back to being invisible I guess.' She flopped down onto a bench, her too long limbs sprawled at odd angles. 'At least if he goes to another town he'll have a better chance at selling that thing…' Nikki inhaled the scent of the flowerbeds and willed herself to relax and be happy. To be grateful for the time that she got to spend with him. She let her eyes drift shut and tilted her face up to the afternoon sun, her arms and legs going liquid and loose at the warmth of its rays. This was her happy place. As long as the sun still shinned pleasant and warm during the afternoon, she would be ok.

Nikki's brows furrowed when a shadow fell across her nearly prone body. She squinted one eye open and what she saw made her entire body jerk up out of its languid state and into an upright and rigid form. "Once-ler!"

"Hey, Nikki! I've been looking for you all day. I made something just for you."

Nikki couldn't help but to just stare up at him with wide eyes. He was still here, he hadn't quit early to leave, he'd been looking for her. She blushed brightly as he pulled something out of his bag. It was wrapped up in newspaper, with twine for ribbon.

Her finger's shook with embarrassment as she took the crudely wrapped package from Once-ler's hands. The man was practically beaming with pride and excitement as he watched Nikki tear into the paper. When she lifted out the bundle of pink fabric and looked up at him, he couldn't help but to let his enthusiasm burst out just a bit. "It's a sweater…because you can't figure out the thneed."

He watched her gaze slide to the pink garment in her lap. She petted a hand over the silky soft fabric for a moment, before she launched herself off of the bench and straight into the unsuspecting Once-ler, locking her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you Oncie…"

The Once-ler blushed bright enough to turn his entire face tomato red. He nervously wrapped one arm around the girl and hugged her a little closer. It was weird meeting a girl that actually met his height properly. "I…well you like to be warm so I figured…"

Nikki pulled back enough to beam up at the blushing Once-ler before wriggling out of his grasp to pull the sweater over her head. It fell to mid-thigh in dress like abundance, and the sleeves nearly swallowed up her hands.

"I made it too big…"

"It's perfect!"

She was in his arms again, cheek pressed to his shoulder. "Thank you so much…it's the best gift ever."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Here we are! Chapter 3! Sorry this took so long but I didn't want to move forward without my co-author's ok. And remember...we REALLY like reviews. They make the chapter's come faster!_**

They stood there for a few moments longer, lost in the simple human comfort of being wrapped in the warmth of another person. For the first time, the feeling of being seen sunk into Nikki. This person though of her, made her something she would like, and sought her out to give it to her. She squeezed just a little tighter and felt the beginnings of happy tears welling up in her eyes.

She would have been content to stay that way for hours if the Once-ler hadn't started laughing breathlessly. "Nikki, I kind of still need to breathe."

The long haired girl snapped away from the lanky man with a huge, deep red blush staining her cheeks. "Oh god I…I'm sorry! I was just…"

Once-ler pushed a thin finger to her lips to shush her, a grin stretching his lips. "It's ok." With that he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Nikki let a surprised giggle at the chaste kiss. "You're just too sweet for words, Oncie."

The Once-ler felt his ears go red with embarrassment at the use of the nickname again. "Well…when a guy wants to impress a girl…"

Nikki's smile increased in size. She placed her hands on her hips and tossed her hair back. Had she ever felt this confident before? It surged through her like summer lightning crashing over the forest. "Well then, maybe you're going about it all wrong…" Was this really her, was she really talking like this? Smiling so easily and talking so freely with someone?

His happy expression dropped slightly. He rubbed his chin with one hand, "How would you do it then, oh guru of wooing wisdom?"

"For starters, if you want to impress a girl with a kiss it should be more like this."

Before she was even aware of her body moving, Nikki had her arms wrapped around Once-ler's shoulders and her lips pressed against his. 'What am I doing?'

The kiss was soft and subtle, something that cheesing romance writers spend pages trying to convey. Something warm and sweet, like caramel freshly poured out to cool in a store window. The two pulled apart with matching dizzy heads and dazed looks.

They stared at each other for a while. Nikki's mind reeling faster then she could consciously keep up with. 'I kissed him..again! on purpose this time! Why did I do that? I just met him! What if he thinks I'm weird or some crazy stalker slut person?'

It was then that Once-ler pressed her back into the shadows under the awning that hung above her front door. His mouth was on hers again and this time it was a little more that sweet, something closer to how boys and girls in the movies kiss.

Nikki's knees felt weak and she was suddenly grateful for the solid support of her own front door behind her back. She twisted her fingers into Once-ler's vest and felt like she was clinging onto a lifeline to keep from being swept off into a sea of churning emotions in her own head. Her eyes drifted closed and she let go to her instincts, hoping that they could carry her through this when her logic could not.

Nikki, very shyly, let her tongue trace Once-ler's bottom lip. She paused when the tall, lanky man tensed a bit, but she couldn't let her newfound confidence slip so easily. She made a little whimper noise and repeated the action with her tongue.

It was then that Once-ler's brain seem to kick in again. His body pressed hers into the door as he kissed back, inexperience being well made up for enthusiasm and a newly awakened hunger for such things.

The pair were suddenly oblivious to the fact that they were only barely obscured from the prying eyes of anyone that happened to walk by the house, they were two entranced by the rhythm of the other's tongue.

His hands moved from being pressed to the door to gripping at her hips. The small surprisedly pleased noise that this produced from her mouth went straight to his head, like the bubbles of a fine champagne. And it was that shock of power that had him pulling away from her slim and yielding frame.

She was a sight, her eyes still closed and her chest heaving just a bit as she tried to force air into her lungs. Once-ler stared at her as she tried to get her mind to restart.

Opening her eyes was like being doused thoroughly with ice water. She'd never seen someone so confused and devastated. It was something like the face he wore when that first tomato struck his face a few weeks ago. She reached a hand out and touched his cheek gently. His fingers covered hers for a second before he pulled her hand away from his person.

"I-I need some time to think." he said. And with that, he was gone.

~*~  
The next day when Nikki woke up she paid extra attention to how she looked in the mirror. She brushed her unruly long hair until it shined and put on the sweater that Once-ler had given her even though it ws far too hot to be comfortable.

She rushed out, sleeves swinging in the breeze, but the Once-ler wasn't anywhere to be found. She searched high and low but found no trace that he had ever even been there. It wasn't until she had found her way to the town gate that she discovered any clue.

There, lying forgotten on the road, was the thneed. Tossed aside and forgotten. She picked it up carefully and stared out into the forest in the distance.

"_Maybe I'll still come, even if I can't sell them." _

"_Really?" _

"_Sure! I promise…" _

She felt the tears well in her eyes. She'd ruined it, she had a friend and she ruined it because she had to have **more**.

She wiped her eyes angrily and tossed the thneed as hard as she could. Not caring that she hit that poor woman in the head. All she wanted was the quiet of her own home. She ran off so quickly she never heard the commotion that the thneed she threw caused.


End file.
